How Dogs Recognize Human Emotions

Researchers at the University of Lincoln in the U.K. say that dogs actually rely on multiple sensory information to recognize human emotions–an ability that so far has been identified only in humans and primates.

Previous research has suggested that a dog’s ability to differentiate between human emotions was “associate behavior” – it linked certain emotional states to facial expressions or other cues it has learned. But these findings challenge that belief.

For the study, published in the journal Biology Letters, the team showed 17 domestic dogs pictures of both humans and other dogs displaying positive (happy or playful) or negative (angry or aggressive) emotional expressions. Alongside the picture presentation, the researchers also played positive or negative audio clips (voices or barks) from unfamiliar human and canine subjects.

The scientists determined that when the dogs were shown a picture that matched the emotional state of an audio clip – for example, if an angry voice matched an angry facial expression – they spent much longer looking at it. This was the case when they were exposed to both human and canine pictures and audio clips.

That, the study authors concluded, suggests that dogs have the ability to integrate two different sources of sensory information to read the emotions of humans or other dogs–an ability they said requires a capability to categorize different emotional states.

Is the Midlife Crisis a Myth?

You know the image – silver-haired men picking up their much younger trophy girlfriends in bright red sports cars.

But this notion that people experience a midlife crisis that drives them to relive their youth, may be more illusion than truth, according to a study published in the journal Developmental Psychology.

The research from the University of Alberta actually concludes that happiness tends to increase with age, thanks to better health, job security, and marital bliss. Happiness doesn’t follow a U-shaped curve, the researchers contend, but rather continues to slope upward, even through midlife.

Sociology professor Harvey Krahn noted, “If you want to see how people change as they get older, you have to measure the same individuals over time.” Previous studies have only measured participants’ happiness at the time they were being observed.

So the researchers followed 1,500 Canadians, split into two groups: high school seniors who were followed for 25 years until age 43, and university seniors who were followed for 14 years until age 37. The goal of the study was to measure individual happiness over time, so participants were asked the same question at different ages: “How happy are you with your life?” Other questions focused on the state of participants’ health and whether they were married or unemployed, among others.

Happiness levels among both groups increased well into their 30s. Overall, participants were happier in their early 40s than they were at age 18 – although the high school group started to experience a slight drop around age 43.

The research team’s theory is that happiness increases from a person’s adolescence to midlife, because some young adults have difficulty finding work and getting their life on track. But many of these issues tend to be resolved by middle age. Also, as people age, they achieve certain life milestones–better health, job security, and marriage.

Depression Drugs May Help Control Diabetes

People who suffer from both diabetes and depression may be able to manage the former better if they take medication for the latter. That’s the conclusion of a new study from the Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

The research found that people with diabetes who get depressed are much more likely to keep their blood sugar levels under control if they take antidepressants.

The researchers reviewed medical records for about 1,400 diabetes patients, including lab tests for blood sugar and prescription data on antidepressant use, from the years 2008 to 2013. On average, the patients were around 62 years old, and most were obese. All of them had type 2 diabetes, which happens when the body can’t properly use or make enough insulin to convert blood sugar into energy.

Most of those whose records were analyzed (1,134) didn’t suffer from depression. But the study included 225 people being treated for depression and 40 individuals who were diagnosed with depression, but were not taking medication for it.

More than half of the people who were treating their depression had their blood sugar under control, compared to only 35 percent of those who were not taking antidepressants.

The researchers acknowledged that they couldn’t determine whether treating depression led to better blood sugar control or whether lowering blood sugar eases depression symptoms. Both scenarios are possible.